Convertible shirt



P 1953 G. LOMBARD! 2,651,042

' CONVERTIBLE SHIRT Filed Jan. 24, 1950 GnEm/vo L OMB/1RD] y 54% xx) A ttorneys Patented Sept. 8, 1953 CONVERTIBLE SHIRT Gaetano Lombardi, Milan, Italy Application January 24, 1950, Serial No. 140,202 In Italy February 3, 1949 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a shirt of the type having an attached collar capable of being used either in open position without a necktie or in closed position with a necktie.

While in the generally used shirts of this type the proper ways of use are only two corresponding with the two end positions of the collar i. e. when the collar is completely closed or Cll'lpletely open (which latter position does not allow the use of a necktie), the shirt according to the invention can be used in any position of the collar between the two end positions, the wide open position inclusive, without losing a perfectly smart look and moreover allowing the use of a necktie in each and any of the said positions.

The practical results of this feature are very important, as the wearer is allowed to enjoy a certain freedom during the warm season and yet to maintain the smartness required by the social requirements. Moreover the wearer can adjust the closed position of the collar so as to be always at ease.

These results are obtained due to the fact that the two triangular fabric areas integral with the right side of the collar for completing the lapels thereof in open collar position, have their external side edges out along lines unbrokenly joining the two opposite lines defining the tip ends of the lapels of the collar in closed position,

and have neither buttons nor any other type of 0 closing means, the closing position of the collar being exclusively determined, between the two end positions, the closed position inclusive, by the knot of the necktie which is let slide along the medium lap line of the edges of the said sides.

The lap of the said edges will be preferably kept constant and will not exceed the maximum limit allowed by a correct position of the collar when closed, the said edges extending in the case of completely or partially front open shirts, into the edges which define the two portions of the shirt bearing respectively the buttons and the buttonholes. In this case the uppermost button defines the fully open collar position.

The invention can furthermore be applied to tunics, having a front closed portion.

In order to improve the stability of the back fold line of the collar, which is not subject to any displacement during the variations of the closing position of the collar, it may be suitable to provide the internal posterior side of the collar near that fold line, with a ribbon of reinforcement applied on the back of the collar by means of two parallel lines of stitches, which may either be limited only to the right side or the back of the collar, or simultaneously engage both the sides, said sides in any event being partially united.

Th accompanying drawings refer to the invention only by way of example, it being understood that they in no way limit the field of application of the invention, nor the numerous variations and modifications in the embodiments thereof. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the right side of the collar of an unfolded shirt according to the present invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are partial front views of the shirt, when worn, respectively in closed collar position and part-open collar position, a necktie being used in both positions,

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a shirt in open collar position, no necktie being used.

Fig. 4a is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 but including a necktie,

Fig. 5 is a variation of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

In the illustrated embodiments of this invention, the collar is of the type having a right side and a back side, each of the said sides being formed in one piece and being unitary with the facing strips on the adjacent edges of the front shirt panels. On the right side the triangular fabric areas i, l, which serve to complete the lapels when the collar is in open position (Fig. 3) and which are comprised between the portions a-b and a'b of the fold line, in closed collar position, and the portions aP-c and ac' of the fold line, in open collar position, are defined on the external edge by lines 22-0, and bc', which include rectilineal sections cd, c'-d, in perfect alignment with the corresponding edge 2 of the buttonhole bearing portion and edge 2' of the button bearing portion from which they are prolonged, and short sections db, db, joining the lines 3, 3 of the tip ends of the collar, the joint point of the said sections being located at the extremity of the line d-d, of attaclnnent to the back. Any point p of the line cd defines thus, with the symmetrical corresponding point p, a particular position of closing for the shirt (Fig. 3) which closing position can be adjusted simply by means of the necktie knot, without need of closing means unpleasant to the eye such as buttons or the like, which would spoil the look of the collar when open. The closing position of the collar will always be placed on the medium lap line m-a: of the edges 2 and 2' which respectively carry the buttons and the buttonholes. In order to secure a perfect smartness in the look of the collar, particularly when it is completely closed, the overlapped edges of the sides 2 and 2' should be as close as possible to the line m:c, or, in other words, they should be overlapped as little as possible. It has been actually found that good results may be obtained when the overlap of the two edges does not exceed 15 mm.

A too small lap of the edges can however cause, in the case of front open shirts, particularly undesired defects when the shirt is without necktie. For the purpose of preventing any such drawback, the edge of the buttons carrying portion may be farther displaced irom the line x:r:, as is illustrated in Fig. 5, starting from the uppermost button to the bottom of the shirt, making it join the upper portion by means of a step 2".

According to the embodiment illustrated inthe drawings, on the back of the collar is applied a ribbon 4, fixed by means of two lines of stitches 4' passing from the right side to the back of the collar, and placed in the proximity of the common section of the fold lines bb and c--c, in order to make the fold line more rigid. Said arrangement is however not essential, as the collar can be made according to any other known system and pattern and the rigidity of its fold line insured by other arrangements.

From the foregoing, it will be realized that the shirt disclosed differs from the usual form of shirt namely in the provision of lapel-like ex.- tensions on the ends of the collar, the shirt front being closed at the top when the collar is in open form as in Fig. 4 and also when a tie is used as in Figure 2.

I claim:

A shirt or like garment having an attached collar, adapted for being worn in any position between open throat V-neck and closed collar 4 dress positions with or without a necktie, comprising two front panels having overlapping edge portions, a row of buttons on the panel having the under edge portion adjacent the edge thereof and the other panel having a corresponding row of buttonholes adjacent its edge, the uppermost button and button hole of which lie just beneath the vV-neck formed by the shirt in open throat position of the collar, said collar having lapel-like extensions on its ends integral with the exposed side of the collar, the edges of said lapel like extensions lying in unbroken lines which join to the fastenable overlapped edges of the shirt front panels, the two opposite edges that define the ends of the collar, the edge of the buttonhole-carrying panel and the edge of the lower portion of the corresponding collar lapel extension lying in a continuous straight line, and the edge portions of the front panels above the uppermost button and buttonhole overlapping in closed collar position, the overlapping of the edges of the panels at least above the uppermost button and buttonhole being less than the overlap beneath said button and buttonhole to give a smart appearance to the collar in any position. p

'GAETANO LOMBARDI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,149,619 Borgenicht Aug. 10, 1915 1,215,931 Haft 1 1 Feb. 13, 1917 2,310,899 Leeds Feb. 9, 1943 2,344,204 'Doumaux Mar. 1%, 194.4 2,345,764 May Apr. 4, 1944 2,502,921 Bryant Apr. 4, 1950 

